Lady and the Thief
by Punk Rock Kitsune
Summary: Lady and the Tramp YGO style. Mana is the adopted daughter of Pharaoh Atem and Queen Anzu. Bakura is the infamous young thief of Egypt. What happens when misfortune crosses Mana's way and she meets Bakura? Mana will get a taste of freedom and...love?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Well, I just got done watching Lady and the Tramp, and it inspired me to write a Yu-Gi-Oh version of it. This time, I will not abandon it. I know, creepy right? Anyways, without further ado, enjoy chapter 1 of Lady and the Thief.**

_**Title: **__Lady and the Thief_

_**Rating: **__T_

_**Pairing: **__Mana X Thief Bakura_

_**Disclaimer: **__I do not own Lady and the Tramp or Yu-Gi-Oh. Credit belongs to Walt Disney and Kazuki Takahashi._

_**Also, this is AU, so the timelines won't be canon. You'll see...**_

_**Roles**_

_**Mana: **__Lady_

_**Thief King Bakura: **__Tramp_

_**Jono (Egyptian counterpart of Jou): **__Jock_

_**Yami: **__Trusty_

_**Marik: **__Si_

_**Melvin (could he get a hug?): **__Am_

_**Isis Ishtar: **__Aunt Sarah_

_**Bobasa: **__Tony_

_**Honda: **__Joe_

_**Anzu: **__Darling_

_**Atem: **__Jim Dear_

_**Yugi: **__The son_

_**Mai: **__Peg_

_**Dinosaur Ryuzaki: **__Toughy_

_**Mokuba: **__Pedro_

_**Seto Kaiba: **__Boris_

_**Insector Haga: **__Bulldog_

_**Ryou: **__Dachsie_

_**Ryouta Kajiki: **__The beaver_

_**Noah Kaiba: **__The hyena_

_**Gozaburo Kaiba: **__Al the alligator_

_**All other random people will be played by random people. :3**_

_**And there will be characters that will be somewhat OOC because I want them to stay loyal to their Disney counterparts. For example, we all know Isis is a kind person, but she will be prejudice in this fic since Mana isn't a dog, heh. So I'm just warning ya.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 1 Summary: <strong>__In Ancient Egypt, Mana is the adopted daughter of Pharaoh Atem and Queen Anzu. Her life was perfect. At five, she's an apprentice magician, and has her two best friends. What are things like for Bakura, the child thief of Egypt?_

* * *

><p>Atem came inside the palace, a small bundle in his arms. He was greeted by his sacred priests and guards. Atem headed towards the bedroom quarters, growing in excitement with each step. Over in South Africa, he learned about a holiday called "Christmas". He discovered that special presents were given on that day, so he had a surprise gift for his queen Anzu.<p>

Atem peeked inside their room to see Anzu lying in bed, writing in hieroglyphs.

"Anzu, my dear. I'm back." he said softly.

Anzu looked up in happiness, her brown locks uncovering her beautiful, pale face.

"Welcome home!" Anzu replied, getting up.

"Stay there." Atem ordered.

Confused, Anzu sat back down. "What is it, Atem?"

"You know how we've been trying to have a child for two years with no success?" Atem asked.

Anzu sighed sadly. "Of course I do. Why?"

"As they say in South Africa, Merry Christmas!" Atem grinned, revealing the bundle to his spouse.

Anzu gasped in shock. Inside the blue blanket was a baby girl with sandy hair and bright blue eyes that matched Anzu's. The child looked up at Anzu and giggled with innocence.

"A noble family in South Africa requested for me to take this six month old child." Atem explained. "The country is going through a rough time with finances, and they couldn't afford raising a child. I gladly adopted Mana."

"Mana, hmmm?" Anzu said softly, holding the baby in her arms.

The girl smiled up at her new mother.

"What a lady..." Anzu whispered, leaning her head against Atem's chest.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Five years later...<strong>_

"Good morning mother and father!" the bubbly Mana called.

The five year old hopped on her parents' bed, shaking them awake.

"Wake up! Father, you promised to give me my magic scepter!" Mana pouted.

Atem yawned and got out of bed. Anzu continued to sleep peacefully.

"Anzu, teach Mana about Sundays." Atem sighed to his sleeping wife.

Mana bounced up and down the hallway with Atem trailing behind.

"Mahado has your scepter." Atem told his daughter. "I must say, I'm surprised that you passed the beginners magician exam already."

"Master Mahado said that I'm a natural magician!" Mana replied, prideful.

On cue, seventeen year old Mahado came from around the corner, holding a sky blue scepter.

"Mine!" Mana cried.

"Mana, where are your manners?" Atem asked her firmly.

Nodding, Mana bowed to the priest. "Good morning Master Mahado."

"Good morning, little lady." Mahado replied, smiling.

Mana has been nicknamed "Lady" because of her mannerisms. However, Mana is still a cheerful and daring girl.

Mahado kneeled before Atem. "I bid thee good morning, my king."

"It's too early in the morning for formalities, Mahado." Atem told him, yawning.

"Of course." Mahado said.

Mahado stooped down next to Mana and handed her the scepter.

"This is now yours, Mana." Mahado told her. "Remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Use your newly learned magic wisely. We will begin training tomorrow, so get used to your scepter today. Understand?"

"One hundred percent!" Mana grinned, playfully saluting the priest.

Mana then ran off outside to look for her best friends Jono and Yami. Atem chuckled at his daughter. Then, a thought hit him.

_Should Anzu and I continue trying for a child?_

Shaking that thought off, Atem continued his conversation with Mahado.

* * *

><p>Mana found Jono and Yami by the palace's main fountain, splashing water at each other.<p>

"Hey guys!" Mana called to the slightly older boys.

Jono and Yami looked at Mana and waved.

"'Morning!" Jono greeted.

"Notice anything different?" Mana asked, twirling her scepter around like a baton.

"...you got a haircut?" Yami tried.

"Noooo." Mana replied, marching around her best friends.

"You took a bath for the first time?" Jono smirked.

"_No!_" Mana snapped, raising her scepter to strike him.

"Then it must be...your magic scepter!" Jono grinned.

Mana's frown immediately turned into a toothy grin. "Yup! I'm officially a magician!"

"And you're officially a _real_ lady!" Yami teased.

"Quick making fun of my nickname!" Mana pouted.

The three played together for several hours. Then, Atem stopped by the fountain.

"Hey, Uncle Atem!" Yami called.

Atem smiled at his nephew. "Hello, Yami."

He put his hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Let's go, Mana. Supper will be soon and you have to change into your evening attire." Atem informed her.

"Well, I gotta go. Bye!" Mana called to Jono and Yami.

"I'll race ya back to the palace." Atem smirked, getting in a running stance.

Mana took off, running as fast her short legs could take her across the desert sand. Atem was right behind her, laughing the entire time. Mana touched the palace gates first, gasping for air.

"I win again!" Mana cried. "That means I get a fig!"

Sighing in mock defeat, Atem dug into his tunic pocket and took out a small fig, already prepared for this loss.

"Just don't let it spoil your dinner." Atem told her.

"It won't!" Mana replied, biting into the delicious treat.

Atem put an arm around her daughter and led her inside the palace, ready to enjoy a wonderful meal.

* * *

><p>The bells of the palace rang through the town of Thebes the next morning. Nine year old Bakura yawned from his makeshift bed in a clay pot. His white hair covered his tan face as he rubbed his violet eyes. After he was done waking up, a scar of two knife cuts could be seen on his right cheek. He used his hands to brush his white hair back so it wasn't covering his face so much. Bakura felt around his neck to make sure that his cherished Millennium Ring was still there.<p>

"Now it's time to steal myself some breakfast." Bakura smirked.

After stretching, the thief headed towards the marketplace. Vendors and shops were ready to make money that morning. He looked around at all of his choices.

"The fruit stand?" Bakura said, reading the sign. "Nah."

He walked along some more, stopping at another stand. The vegetable shop. Bakura shuddered at the sight of artichokes and soy beans. He only liked one vegetable, and it wasn't there. Finally, Bakura decided on a restaurant that he has gotten free food countless times: Bobasa's.

Bakura walked around the back and knocked on the two-way half door. The owner, Bobasa, looked out and could not see anyone.

"Is this some prank?" Bobasa asked, looking around.

"Down here." an annoyed voice replied.

Bobasa looked down to see Bakura tapping his foot impatiently.

"Ahhh! Welcome back, Bakura!" Bobasa grinned. "I know what you like."

Bobasa tossed Bakura an onion and a trout.

"Thanks." Bakura told him, walking off with his breakfast.

After eating, she saw some of the pharaoh's guards leading two prisoners to the palace in shackles. He recognized those to be his child thief friends: Haga and Mai.

"Not again." Bakura rolled his eyes.

His eyes landed on a sign that was near him. He looked at the glyphs.

_By the order of the Pharaoh's priests, all citizens found committing a crime will immediately be put in prison, young or old. This is to help bring the crime rate in Thebes down._

Bakura growled at the sign and turned back to Mai and Haga.

The guard foolishly stopped at a stand to buy some food for himself. The area around them was crowded, so Bakura took that chance to sneak over there and let them out.

"Hey Bakura. Come to join the party?" Twelve year old Mai asked suavely.

"This is no time for wise cracks. I still gotta get you outta here. The pressure's really hot this time. Those royal priests are showing no mercy."

"Hey Bakura!" Haga cried, just now seeing him.

"Shhhh!" Bakura hissed, picking the locks.

He released Haga and Mai.

"Thanks, Bakura. You're a real lifesaver." Mai winked.

"Hey, what's going on back there?" The guard said, looking back to see his prisoners unshackled. "It's that kid thief!"

"Scram!" Bakura shouted to Haga and Mai. No one needed to tell them twice.

Bakura faced the guard head on. The guard tried to contain Bakura with a spear, but Bakura used his Millennium Ring to paralyze the guard long enough for him to escape. Along with that, Bakura erased the man's memory.

Bakura took off, nearing the palace gates. He stopped near the Nile, gasping for air. The adrenaline in his veins kicked off, leaving a satisfactory feeling.

"Well, well, well! It looks like I came across High and Mighty palace." Bakura said, grinning mischievously.

He saw two exotic looking women around eighteen collecting water in a jug. He trotted over to them.

"Hey, ladies. If you ever get wet, find me so I can warm you up." he flirted.

The young women giggled at the kid's advances and began walking back towards the palace, the jars above their heads.

"I'll take that as a yes." Bakura smirked.

He scooped water in is hands and took some drinks, replenishing his thirst.

A few minutes later, Bakura walked towards the palace, keeping a cautious eye, but not looking too suspicious.

"The palace. I bet they have a guard in every nook and cranny." he said.

Bakura stopped next to a fountain that shot clean and pure water out of it. "And a fountain every half mile!"

Bakura chuckled to himself as he snuck around outside the palace gates.

"I wonder what the other kids do for fun in this boring place." he murmured. "Well, I'll have to find out..."

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it for now! I'm sure you guys know what happens in Lady and the Tramp when Lady gets older, right? That'll be the next chapter! Until then, please review! The review button has a wife and three kids to feed...and I need the encouragement since I'm shoving myself out of dormancy. Happy Thanksgiving! I named my dead and now baking turkey Wormy. I don't know why, but I did. And it's a girl. Thanks to Zoology class, I know what the different reproductive systems look like by heart. Yeah. :D<strong>

**Ja ne! :3**

**PRK**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is the next chapter! But first, I'd like to thank my lovely reviewers!**

**kate**

**dr-fanmai-lover**

**Aqua girl 007**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 2 Summary: <strong>__Ten years later, Mana is officially a magician! Everything is going great...until Atem and Anzu have an unexpected surprise. Mana's life goes downhill as she becomes a "second rate daughter". When Jono and Yami come over to visit Mana, all three get another unexpected surprise when the newly appointed Thief King happily crashes the party._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ten Years Later...<strong>_

Fifteen year old Mana sat by the fountain outside the palace gates, her head in hers hands. Yesterday had been the worst day ever. Jono and Yami decided to visit her the next day.

"Maaaaanaaaaa!" Jono called.

"Miss Laaaadyyyy!" Yami also called, using Mana's nickname.

Mana barely looked up.

"Good morning, Mana!" Jono said cheerfully. "It's a bright and fresh day for-"

Mana slowly raised her head, and the seventeen year old boys saw a tear-streaked face under a mess of sandy brown hair.

"Mana, what's wrong?" Yami asked, concerned. "You were just announced elite spellcaster yesterday."

"It's not that." Mana whispered.

"Tell us, Mana. If someone's been mistreating ya..." Jono cracked his knuckles.

"No, no, it's nothing like that, Jono. It's something I've done, I guess." Mana sighed.

Jono and Yami looked at each other in surprise.

"You, Mana? It couldn't be." Yami told her.

"It has to be." Mana replied, getting a little frustrated. "Mother and Father are acting so-"

Humming could be heard when Queen Anzu came out from the palace gates. She had a jar on her head, and she began her short journey towards the Nile. She stopped to rub her stomach absentmindedly, and she walked towards the fountain.

Jono and Yami grabbed one of Mana's hands, and hurried away to a more private area: the courtyard. They sat on the grass, surrounded by exotic plants and another fountain, only smaller.

"Now, get on with the details." Jono told her.

"Well," Mana began. "The weirdness started a month ago, but it wasn't really noticeable until yesterday..."

_**Flashback**_

_Mana hurried out from Mahado's sacred sanctuary, her ten year old scepter clutched in her hand. Her face was shining with happiness._

"_Woohoo! I did it!" she shouted, jumping in the air while running._

_Mahado had just appointed her from apprentice to elite spellcaster. Her ten years of training paid off at last. Mana decided to share the news with her mother first. Mana spent an hour a day practicing with her Anzu, and she always tested Mana and helped her memorize spells and master magic with her. She couldn't have achieved the elite status without her mother._

_Mana ran inside the palace gates, heading towards the bedroom quarters. She saw Atem hurrying along too._

"_Hey, Dad! You'll never guess what happened!" Mana cried, trying to catch up with her father._

"_Not now, Mana." Atem told her firmly, an unknown look in his eyes._

_Mana looked at him confused. She shrugged, figuring that he had a tiring day. She picked up speed and got in front of her father._

"_I have some exciting news!" she began. "Mahado just appointed me-"_

_Atem walked right past Mana and into the bedroom, ignoring her._

"_Anzu! Are you alright?" Atem called to his queen._

"_Well of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Anzu replied, lying in bed._

_Atem shut the door in Mana's face. She was taken aback, but he sounded concerned. What was wrong with her mother? Worried, Mana ran into her own room that was built four years ago. It had a conjoining door to her parents' room, so she hurried to her own large room._

_Along the way, Mana listened to their conversation._

"_Well, I just can't help worrying." Atem explained. "After all, in your condition, alone here all day, practicing magic with _that_ girl!"_

_Mana had opened the conjoining door when her adopted father said those words. She stood there in complete shock._

_**End of Flashback**_

"That_ girl_?" Jono cried, shocked.

"That girl?" Yami repeated, just as surprised.

"He's never called me such an insulting title before." Mana sighed.

_Uncle Atem, you stupid idiot._ Yami thought to himself.

"Mana, don't worry your hard head about it." Jono said, half-teasing.

"So not funny." Mana said from her hands.

"Anyways," Jono continued. "Your father is human too. He has emotions."

"And hormones!" Yami chimed in.

"Shut up." Jono snapped. He then turned his attention back to Mana. "I mean, not every person in this world is going to be happy every day."

"That's right, Lady." Yami replied. "As my grandfather Aknamkanon used to say, uhhhh, something about the great circle of life-"

"Well," Jono interrupted. "Yami isn't the brightest orange in the basket, so I wouldn't be paying attention to him."

"But I have the Millennium Puzzle Uncle Atem gave to me last year." Yami smirked, holding up the puzzle.

"Too bad you have no idea how to use your jigsaw puzzle." Jono snickered.

"It's the _Millennium _Puzzle. There's a difference." Yami told him.

"Kind of like the difference between my good looks and yours?" Jono asked.

"No, more like the difference between the number of my girlfriends I've had and the number of girlfriends you haven't." Yami retorted.

"Well, uh, well, you're short." Jono mumbled.

Mana rubbed her temples, and Jono and Yami immediately turned their attention back to her.

"So, it was just Pharaoh Atem, right?" Jono asked.

"No...my mother too." Mana replied.

_**Flashback**_

_Mana came in her mother's room three hours after the incident with her father. Anzu was sitting in a chair, sewing what looked like a small tunic. It was royal blue and purple._

"_Mom! Since I've been appointed elite spellcaster, I need to practice more! Can you help me for an hour?" Mana asked, looking forward to their daily training._

"_Not today." Anzu said quickly, never looking up from her sewing._

"_Oh..." Mana said, looking towards the ground._

_Another idea popped up into her head._

"_How about a walk down the Nile? We used to do that when I was younger. It'll be relaxing." Mana suggested._

"_No."_

"_But mother-"_

"_I said no!" Anzu snapped, irritated._

_Mana winced slightly. Then, she spotted a tiny turban sitting on Anzu and Atem's bed. It wasn't finished, since the material was still connected to the clothing, but Mana didn't see it._

"_Whoa! This is cool!" Mana smiled, picking up the turban._

_The soft cloth began to unravel._

"_Mana! Put that down!" Anzu told her fiercely._

_Mana didn't hear her, and the turban continued to unravel. "This looks like-"_

_A loud smack could be heard around the room. Anzu had gotten up and slapped Mana across the face. Shocked, Mana dropped the almost completely unraveled turban._

"_Leave immediately!" Anzu shouted._

_With tears threatening to fall, Mana ran out, looking down in shame._

_**End of Flashback**_

"It didn't really hurt, but mother has never struck me before." Mana finished.

At that moment, Jono and Yami looked at each other knowingly.

"Don't take it so seriously." Jono told her.

"This is a time in the lives of humans where...the stork flies?" Yami looked at Jono.

"What he's trying to say is that Pharaoh and his queen are having a baby." Jono informed Mana.

"A baby? But, why? I'm their child." Mana said, a little hurt.

During that conversation, the nineteen year old thief Bakura was walking around the outside gates of the palace. He's not known as a thief in the palace area, but he is in suburban areas, especially where guards are heavy. When Bakura came across the courtyard, he peeked inside in interest.

"Uncle Atem needs a male to inherit the throne after he is no longer king." Yami explained. "If he didn't have a son, I would become pharaoh. I don't want that. I like my life as it is."

Bakura plopped down at the entrance and continued to listen in, finding their discussion amusing.

"But...why are they acting so hostile towards me?" Mana asked.

"That's just what happens when the females have their hormones-" Jono began, but Yami covered his mouth.

"They get emotional." Yami finished for Jono.

"And," Jono shoved Yami's hand out of his face. "Having a sibling won't be so bad. I have a little sister, Shizuka. She has long moved away, but when she was a baby, she was so sweet and soft, a big bundle of joy."

Bakura couldn't help but laugh, and the attention of the three friends were fixated on the intruder.

"They're a big bundle of _trouble_." Bakura corrected Jono.

"What?" Jono growled.

"They're annoying, loud when they need their cloths changed, greedy for milk, and obnoxious when they want toys." Bakura listed. "But hey, any person can take that shit. That's not the problem. The problem is what they do to your household."

Bakura got up and walked over to the guys and Mana. He sat down next to Mana, forcing Jono to give up his place.

"They're home wreckers, that's what they are." he continued to Mana.

"Hey!" Jono shouted, getting in Bakura's face. "Who the hell do you think you are barging in here? How dare you talk to the pharaoh's daughter like that?"

"I, Bakura, am the voice of experience, junior." Bakura replied, smirking. He faced Mana once again, eyeing her scepter. "But you're adopted, right?"

Mana looked down.

"Just wait until that baby gets here, kid. You'll get the urge to practice your magic..." Bakura said.

Mana imagined herself in her room with her trusty scepter, casting spells.

"Then," Bakura continued. "Your mother will say "Put that scepter down! You'll bewitch the baby"!" he said in a high-pitched falsetto.

Mana looked up in surprise while Jono rolled his eyes. Yami was rather intrigued.

"You'll start laughing at the poofy blond guy making an idiot of himself out the window," Bakura went on, pointing at Jono.

"It's _Jono_, you scoundrel." Jono snarled.

Mana imagined herself looking outside at Jono attempting to belly dance...which he tried to do before. They all knew how well that turned out.

"Then she'll say "Stop that racket! You'll wake the baby"!" Bakura said in the same falsetto.

Jono scowled at Bakura while Yami stifled a laugh.

"Then, the pharaoh and his queen will kick you out of the palace and make you live in a hut like Poofy." Bakura continued.

"It's Jono, you fleabag!" Jono snapped. "And I live in a decent home! You probably live in a garbage dump!"

Bakura shook off the insult with a laugh and continued his conversation with Mana.

"Then, you'll remember those decadent dinners in the pharaoh's dining hall with figs, fish, wheat bread, and all sorts of things, but you'll be stuck with the baby eating leftover breast milk."

Mana's face went beet red and Jono was ready to punch Bakura's lights out.

"And that nice bed you have in your room, all cozy and nice...will be replaced with a futon with no blanket."

Mana looked completely scared now. "Oh dear..." she murmured.

Jono plopped next to Mana, blocking Bakura's view of her.

"Now you listen here, Bakura! Out of all the people in the world, the pharaoh and his queen would never be that cruel to anyone, adopted or not!" Jono shouted.

"Besides, Lady." Yami continued. "A king as noble as Uncle Atem is one we can trust with all we have."

Bakura busted with laughter, rolling around.

"I can't believe you all fell for that trick."

"You're the trick." Yami muttered.

Jono cracked his knuckles for the second time that day and stood up. Bakura stood up as well, chuckling.

"We have no need for tramps and their radical ideas. Off with you before you get a good ass-kicking from me!"

"Okay, Mary-Sue." Bakura sniggered.

"It's Jono! Now get out!" Jono shouted.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Bakura smiled.

He faced Mana one last time before leaving. "But remember this, Charmy," he said, giving her that name because "charm" relates to magic. "All humans have only so much room for love and affection. When the youngest child moves in, the oldest moves _out_."

That struck a major nerve inside Mana as Bakura walked away.

* * *

><p>Atem and Anzu were standing in front of their ancient calendar a month later, trying to predict when their baby will arrive. By then, Anzu's stomach was pudgy, and she was rubbing it affectionately.<p>

"Well, I have no idea what day our child will be born, but I know it will be in the spring month. April, as they say in the English speaking countries." Atem was telling his wife.

"That's wonderful." Anzu replied.

"There isn't a way to tell what gender the baby is, is there?" Atem asked.

"Our nephew Yami and priestess Aishizu said that their Millennium Items predicted a boy."

"Oh yes, I forgot the Millennium Puzzle and Necklace could hold answers to the future as well as the past." Atem said, sighing in relief.

Mana looked on from her parent's bed, sighing in sadness. They haven't said a single word to her in three days.

_Maybe Bakura was right._ Mana thought to herself. _I'm being replaced by a baby that's not even born yet..._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Three Months Later...<strong>_

Mana woke up in the middle of the nigh to a noise. It was January, and the winds outside were picking up. She heard the door to her parents' room open and close. Curious, Mana crept outside her bedroom and saw Atem with is royal robe on. That meant that he was leaving the palace.

"Are you sure you want corn?" Atem called back to his pregnant wife.

"Yeah! And some pomegranates!" Anzu replied.

"Pomegranates?" Atem repeated, confused. "Alright then."

He headed out, and Mana followed him. When the guards opened the palace gates, a gust of wind raised the sand. Atem covered his eyes as he headed out on horseback. Unfortunately, the sand got in Mana's face, and she looked like Santa Claus...

_**Two Months Later...**_

Anzu was now eight months pregnant. Nobles from all over Africa came to visit the pharaoh and his wife, including the pharaoh's sacred priests. Mana walked around the royal court to the women's side to see what was going on.

"Queen Anzu, you look more radiant than ever!" the wife of a priest in Ethiopia complimented.

The women showered Anzu in gifts, and Mana shuddered from all the sweet talk. All they were doing was kissing up to her mother so they could have Atem in their beds that night.

She walked over to the men's side and observed from sort of a distance. They were drunk, laughing and joking around.

"Hey, pharaoh! I've never seen you look so worse!" one noble was saying.

It was true. Atem's hair was frizzed and unkempt.

"Yeah, and you haven't experience real fatherhood yet!" another added.

The laughter grew louder, and Mana walked away, insulted. Did they not know about her?

_**One month later...**_

On an April night, Mana was jolted out of her sleep from a cry. It was coming from Atem and Anzu's room! She hopped out of bed and ran inside their room. A doctor and a midwife were standing next to Anzu's bed. That could mean only one thing. Anzu was having her baby!

"Mother!" Mana cried.

"Stay back." the doctor instructed Mana. "Go get the pharaoh. His wife just had a son."

Mana took a peek at her new brother and nodded, heading out to find her father. She found him talking urgently with a messenger to announce the birth of his child.

"Father!" Mana cried.

Atem looked towards his daughter. "What do we have?"

"We have a baby boy," Mana began. "He has blond, black, and magenta hair like you and crimson eyes."

Atem's eyes brightened as he gave the messenger this information. Mana had never seen him so happy.

_Why wasn't he nearly this happy when I was appointed an elite spellcaster?_ Mana wondered, sighing to herself. _Well, at least I have a little brother._

Several weeks went by, and in May, it was Mana's birthday. Officially sixteen, Mana was allowed to marry. Atem had told her when she was younger that she could marry whoever she wanted. However, Mana wasn't ready to marry. One, she hasn't met the right guy. And also, she didn't feel loved much by her own parents.

While Mana sat on her bed, Anzu and Atem were tending to the crying Yugi. Bored, Mana decided to visit her little brother. She entered Atem and Anzu's quarters to find Anzu cuddling Yugi in a bundle of blankets. Anzu looked up and smiled.

"Good afternoon, Mana." she greeted.

"Hey." Mana replied.

Mana got on her knees and laid her chin on her mother's lap, observing little Yugi. He looked exactly like his father, only Yugi had Anzu's adorable eye-shape and her smile. This time, Yugi had fallen asleep after Anzu settled him down.

"Would you like to hold him?" Anzu asked.

Mana nodded slowly. Anzu handed Mana the baby, and she cradled him in his arms. As she looked down at his angelic face, she could never bring herself to hate him. Even if her parents forgot her birthday, she felt proud to have a baby brother as cute as him. Besides, Jono, Yami, and Mahado were having a small celebration for her birthday later on.

_Hmmm...I wonder if that Bakura person will turn up again. _Mana thought, a miniscule smile on her face.

* * *

><p><strong>Lots of drama! The drama will escalate when Isis (Aunt Sarah) and the twins Marik and Melvin (Si and Am) come over when Atem and Anzu have to leave for a business trade in Nigeria. Will Bakura show up at all? You'll find out most likely tomorrow. Ja ne, minasan! :3<strong>

**PRK**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey again! We're on a roll! Here's Chapter three coming at ya! I will be using the Siamese Cat Song in, but Marik and Melvin won't sing it, they'll just say it. But first, to thank my awesome reviewers!**

**RiverTear980**

**LadyFelton1994**

**Happy reading!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 3 Summary: <strong>__Atem and Anzu leave for Nigeria for a few days for business. What will happen when Atem's sister, Isis, and her evil twin sons stay at the palace to watch baby Yugi? Especially when Isis doesn't see Mana as her niece?_

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><p>Mana looked around in confusion as Atem and Anzu were gathering their things.<p>

"You're leaving for Nigeria already?" Mana whined.

"This is about it..." Atem murmured, not hearing Mana.

Anzu was caressing little Yugi for the last time for a few days.

"Come along, Anzu. We need to get in and out of Nigeria as soon as possible." Atem told her.

"I know, but I can't leave the baby here. He's still so little." Anzu replied, looking at her husband.

"He'll be alright." Atem said with some insensitivity.

Mana gave Atem a surprised look, but he didn't see that either.

"If he wakes up, we'll never get away." Atem pointed out, pulling Anzu gently by the arm.

"I know...but I just feel so guilty leaving him here." Anzu sighed.

"Yeah, you can't just leave Yugi here." Mana added, a bit upset.

"We'll be back in a few days." Atem explained. "Besides, your Aunt Isis and her sons are coming over to watch Yugi. I know you'll be a great help."

"Great. Aunt Isis." Mana spat.

"Mana, enough. Your mother and I have to get going." Atem told her.

Born an Egyptian, Isis had moved to Siam fourteen years ago, which is where she had her evil Siamese twins, Marik and Melvin.

As Atem and Anzu left, Mana groaned. Isis didn't like Mana at all. Since she isn't a blood relative, Isis looks down on her and doesn't consider her a niece. But that wasn't the biggest problem. The biggest problem is the twins, Marik and Melvin. Conjoined at birth, there must have been something damaged in their brain when they were removed from each other. Marik and Melvin are deranged. They dislike Mana just as much as Isis, so they frame Mana for countless incidents that she didn't cause.

"Man, this is going to be hell." Mana muttered, standing at the door.

At that moment, Isis and her sons entered the pharaoh's quarters. Isis immediately went towards Yugi's bed, shutting the door in Mana's face.

"Now to see that nephew of mine!" Isis cooed.

Face palming, Mana went inside her room to enter her parents' room again. Mana laid on her parents' bed, gazing down at her little brother.

"In the name of Ra, what are _you_ doing in here?" Isis asked, treating Mana like some sort of dog. "You're not even our family! Get out, you outsider!"

Isis scooted Mana back into her room. Mana was tempted to grab her scepter and beat the crap out of her aunt, but there was no way she'd stoop to that level.

Then, Yugi started to cry because of all the noise.

"Awww, you poor baby." Isis cooed. "I promise that girl won't frighten you anymore."

Hurt, Mana flopped on her bed and laid there.

Then, Mana heard Isis begin to terribly sing some English song that started out with "Rock a bye baby". Mana covered her head with her pillow, trying her best to block out the off-key singing.

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><p>Several hours later, Mana heard Isis say, "I must find my old room in here. It's been years..."<p>

Isis left the baby all alone, so that meant Marik and Melvin were in there! There was no way Mana was going to let their spiky heads touch _anything_. Mana marched in her parents' room. They were nowhere in sight.

"Where are you, you little schemers?" Mana growled, looking around the bedroom.

When she came across the bed, she felt two hands grab onto her ankles, and pull her down.

"Ack!" Mana cried as she fell on her butt.

The evil thirteen year old twins crawled out from under the bed and on top of Mana, grinning mischievously.

"You evil brats!" Mana spat.

"We are Siamese if you please." Marik purred, caressing parts of Mana's leg that were not covered by her skirt.

"We are Siamese if you don't please." Melvin added, licking Mana's cheek.

"Damn right I don't please." Mana shuddered, wiping her face.

Marik and Melvin's actions only served as a distraction, for they were already off of Mana and scavenging the bedroom. They came across Atem's fish, the Phagrus fish, in a round glass jar. That fish was sacred and not allowed to be eaten!

"You see that fish swimming round and round?" Marik asked Melvin .

"Yeah, maybe we can reach on in and make it drown." Melvin replied.

Marik face palmed. "You can't drown fish, you idiot."

"Oh, right." Melvin sweat dropped. "But," he continued. "If we up upon it carefully..."

"There will be a head for you and a tail for me." Marik finished, licking his lips.

Marik and Melvin reached for the jar, but Mana snatched it away. The twins pulled back, and Mana tugged harder. Finally, the twins let go of the jar. Mana fell backwards and she was drenched with river water.

"Gross!" Mana whined.

Then, she realized the Phagrus was missing.  
>"Where did it go?" Mana cried, looking everywhere.<p>

She spotted it, flopping around on the floor, and Marik's hands were reaching out to grab it. The fish slipped from his hands, and Mana caught it. She tossed it back towards the half empty jar, but it turned out Melvin was sitting in front of it with his mouth wide open.

Mana snatched the fish back, only for it to slip out of her hands.

"This is just great!" Mana muttered, going after the fish again.

Baby Yugi started to cry, woken up again by the noise.

"Do you hear that?" Marik asked, looking towards Yugi's bed.

"Yeah, it's Uncle Atem's new son." Melvin replied.

"And where we find a pharaoh's baby, there is gold on it." Marik added, an evil glint in his eye.

Mana gasped as she threw the Phagrus back in its jar and ran in her room.

"And if we look in Yugi's bed, there could be..." Melvin said, edging towards Yugi's bed.

"A gold bangle or two for you and me." Marik finished.

Mana jumped in front of the Siamese twins with a snarl, her scepter pointed at them.

"Whoa!" Marik cried.

They started to run away, and Mana chased them. Beams shot out of her scepter, a freezing spell. Marik and Melvin ran into the drapes, immediately knowing what to do. They tugged Anzu's expensive drapes down and entangled Mana in them. Mana had no idea where she was going, and crashed into Atem's lamp, causing it to fall near Yugi. Mana herself fell on the floor, hurting her right arm in the process.

Then, Marik and Melvin plopped on the floor and pretended that they were hurt.

"What in the name of Ra is going on here?" Isis asked, coming in Atem and Anzu's room.

"Sweet mother of Osiris!" Isis cried when she saw her sons on the ground moaning in "pain".

Mana peeked out from under the drapes, her eyes lidded. Her scepter was in plain sight.

"Oh, that wicked girl." Isis muttered, helping her boys up from the floor. "I'll make sure she'll never hurt my poor little angels again with her evil magic."

As Isis walked them out of the room, Marik and Melvin used their free hands to give each other a handshake while sneering at Mana.

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><p>That afternoon, Isis dragged Mana to the pharaoh's priests. They were standing in the royal court like Isis requested.<p>

"What is wrong, Isis?" Aishizu asked Isis.

"This girl attacked my sons with her scepter!" Isis cried. "And she destroyed the pharaoh's sacred quarters, nearly killing Yugi!"

The priests gasped in shock.

"Mana, is this true?" Mahado asked, looking at his pupil sadly.

There was nothing Mana could say to defend herself. Even though Marik and Melvin set her up, she did attack them with magic, she did wreck her parents' room, and she almost got her own little brother killed.

"...yes." Mana replied, looking down.

Mahado closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. Aishizu, Set, Karim, Shada, and Akunadin looked at the pharaoh's daughter sadly, but they had no choice.

"We hereby suspend Mana of her title as Elite Spellcaster until the great pharaoh comes back to deal with this. This includes the suspension of her scepter and wearing a magic restrictor." Mahado announced.

"_What?_ Please Master Mahado, no!" Mana cried, sinking to the ground.

With a snap of his fingers, Mahado made four cloth shackles and a cloth gag appear. Those weren't just any items of cloth. Even though they looked harmless, the cloth held the power to contain any type of magic or spell cast.

"Restrain her." Mahado said slowly.

Before Mana could do anything, Karim and Set grabbed Mana by the arms.

"No! Please reconsider!" Mana cried.

Her struggling was futile. Karim and Set were just too strong. Aishizu took Mana's scepter from her hands, and Mahado began the ritual.

"For those who are strong-willed but have no control. Let these restrains keep their hold!" Mahado chanted. "You will keep your ability to speak, but you'll lose your power and become meek. For there's only one way these can be taken with bait. That is the dagger of fate!"

The cloth shackles and gag forced itself on Mana. The restrainers began to hurt Mana because of the force. Mana screamed and writhed. Karim and Set had a tougher time keeping her still than expected. When the ritual was over, the gag and shackles were stuck firmly to her. When Set and Karim released Mana, she ran off, tears streaming down her face. Isis didn't even blink.

As the priests walked out of the court, Mahado looked back at where Mana ran off.

"I hope you'll find the dagger of fate." he whispered before leaving.

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><p>Mana was running blindly through the sandy roads. Chaos erupted as horses neighed and people were knocked over by Mana. She turned down a dark and sinister road. Before Mana knew it, she collided with a large stand with several bags.<p>

"Ahhhh!" Mana screamed as she fell.

Inside those bags were smuggled jewels from other countries.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" A gruff man shouted.

Before Mana's eyes, two other criminals stood behind their leader.

"You'll die for this." the man told her, taking out a dagger.

_Oh no!_ Mana thought frantically, getting up quickly.

Mana ran away as fast as she can, the crooks hot on her trail.

"Somebody help me!" Mana cried through her gag.

The men saw the magic restrictors and smirked.

"She's a magician!" he called to his henchmen. "We can use her as a ransom for the pharaoh...then kill her!"

Mana ran even faster, the fear kicking up her adrenaline.

Meanwhile, Bakura was drinking water from an old jar, minding his own business when he spotted a girl running with three men behind her.

"It's that magician Mana... " Bakura realized.

Bakura dropped the jar and ran after them.

"I've been looking for some trouble, and now I found some." Bakura smirked.

There was no way he could catch up to them in time from behind, so he went another way, hopping over several fences that protected people's homes.

After about five more minutes of running, Mana came to a dead end. She hid behind some boxes, hoping the felons thought she managed to jump the six foot brick wall. But they were smarter than they looked as they walked towards the boxes. Out of nowhere, the thief jumped over the brick wall and landed in front of Mana. He had no visible weapon, but he looked pretty intimidating. Mana didn't know who this guy was, since she can only see his back.

"Get outta the way!" the lead criminal shouted.

"I suggest you leave before I really have to hurt you." Bakura snarled with a bit of a sadistic tone.

The Millennium Ring started to glow, and even though Mana couldn't see anything, she heard screams and crunching noises.

Before she knew it, the convicts fled the area, fearing for their lives. Bakura gave a victorious smirk before facing the frightened girl.

"Charmy..." Bakura said, walking over to her. "What brought you to this side of the city? As an magician, I thought you'd be smart enough to-"

Bakura cut himself off when he saw the restrictors on Mana's mouth, ankles, and wrists.

"What the hell did you do, Charmy?" Bakura asked, looking at the shackles and gag.

Mana just blinked away more tears, looking helplessly at the thief. He almost felt bad for the girl.

"Well, I guess we'll have to get these off of you." Bakura said with some reluctance.

Mana stayed quiet as Bakura thought about what to do.

"I think I know the very place." he told her.

Even though Mana's mouth wasn't visible, Bakura could see the smile in her eyes.

"C'mon." he told her, taking her by the arm.

He led her away, and they headed towards Ra knows where.

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><p><strong>Yay! Bakura to the rescue! Sorry if Bakura was too OOC, but he is based on a Disney character after all. There will be Mischiefshipping next chapter, so stay tuned. This is PRK saying ja ne! :3<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Here I am again! This chapter contains Mischiefshipping, so watch out! :D I also made some changes to chapter 3. The scene with Bakura and Mana at the end was OOC. If you re-read it, it'll be different. Yeah. :3 Thanks Aqua girl 007 for bringing that to my attention. Now, to thank my wonderful reviewers!**

**Aqua girl 007**

**LadyFelton1994**

**kate**

**RiverTear980**

**Angel the Neko**

**Happy reading!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 4 Summary: <strong>__Bakura helps remove the magic restrictors off of Mana by tricking a gullible comrade of his. After getting to know each other a bit more, Mana and Bakura begin to feel something they've never felt before: love. Will their feelings come to the surface?_

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><p>Bakura dragged Mana along for about half an hour. Mana was telling him how Mahado chanted a spell when the restrictors were placed on her. The entire time, Mana had a blush on her face at the feel of Bakura's hand.<p>

"So, did that idiot Mahado give some hint so you can get those off?" Bakura asked.

"He's not an idiot." Mana snapped. "And I suppose he did. He said that "for there's only one way these can be taken with bait. That is the dagger of fate"."

"The dagger of fate? Huh..." Bakura muttered.

Five minutes later, Bakura abruptly stopped walking, making Mana bump into him.

"Here we are." Bakura announced.

Mana looked up and saw that they were standing in front of a bar.

"A...bar?" Mana asked, giving Bakura a strange look.

"If you want those restrictors off so you won't look like my bondage slave, I suggest you keep quiet. I know these people, but they don't know _you_." Bakura warned.

Mana blushed again. "Fine." she muttered.

Bakura took Mana over to a stack of crates.

"You wait here." he told her. "I'm not exactly welcome here, and since I have to sneak you in here too, I have to get past that lookout."

Bakura pointed to a very tall and gruff looking man with several weapons in his tunic belt. Mana shuddered.

"Since I'm the King of Thieves, I can think of something to get past old Amon." Bakura smirked, giving Mana a smug smile.

Bakura snuck over to Amon. Without getting detected, Bakura snatched several deben out of his pocket.

_Bakura just made a big mistake..._ Mana thought to herself, cowering behind the crates even more.

Bakura smoothly stuck the money into another man's pocket and quickly ran back to Mana.

"Wait..." Bakura told Mana before she said anything.

Amon dug in his pocket to check if his money was still there, which he did every five minutes. When he found out it was missing, chaos ensued.

"Who the fuck stole my money? Was it you?" Amon roared, pointing to the man who Bakura slipped the money to.

The man laughed. "Oh please, Amon. Now you're hallucinating. You know I have no money."

The man dug in his pocket and stopped cold. In his hands he felt deben.

"You know what happens to people who steal what's mine." Amon growled, cracking his knuckles.

Amon charged at the man, and right when he left his post, Bakura grabbed Mana's hand.

"Come on!" he ordered her.

He ran inside the bar with Mana trailing behind him. To her surprise, Bakura had a protective grip on her hand.

Once they got inside the dim bar, Bakura sighed in relief.

"I haven't felt this happy causing theft in a whole week." Bakura said.

"So, what's so special about this place?" Mana asked, looking around warily.

"What did I say about keeping quiet?" Bakura asked.

Mana swallowed her pride and kept quiet. Still holding her hand, Bakura walked around the bar.

"Now, I know some people through connections in the theft world." Bakura explained to the silent Mana. "And they owe me some favors."

Bakura walked up to Gozaburo, one of his fellow criminals.

"Gozaburo!" Bakura called menacingly.

Gozaburo turned around, drinking alcohol. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Kid of Thieves." he mocked.

"Listen old man, you owe big time for saving your soggy ass from the royal guards." Bakura growled. "Now I want you to use your dusty magical dagger to get these restrictors off of this girl."

Gozaburo eyed the vulnerable girl. "Who's this? Is this your newest bonda-"

"Gozaburo, shut up and do your job." Bakura scowled.

"Happy to oblige." he smirked.

Gozaburo used to be a magician, but he was never in the pharaoh's royal court. He hated the pharaoh with everything he has. Now that he's old, he has no desire to be as adventurous as he used to be...until now.

Gozaburo took out a _huge_ dagger and aimed it at Mana.

"Whoa, _whoa!_" Bakura cried, pulling Mana out of the way.

Noah Kaiba, Gozaburo's crazy son, started to laugh like a hyena, grabbing his stomach in his fits of laughter.

"If anyone needs a restrainer, it's Noah." Bakura said. He then glared at Gozaburo. "Next time you try that, you'll get killed."

Mana's heart was pumping rapidly in fear. That certainly wasn't the dagger of fate.

Bakura tugged Mana's arm and she followed him around to the back of the bar. There, Bakura found Ryouta Kajiki fiddling with a leak on a pipe.

"If Amon finds this, I'll be so dead!" the spiky haired man hissed.

"Ryouta!" Bakura called.

Ryouta instinctively turned around with a harpoon in his hand.

"Oh...it's you Bakura." Ryouta scoffed.

Bakura eyed the leak, the harpoon, and Mana's restrictors. This might be it...

"Hey Ryouta..." Bakura said in a surprisingly nice voice. "How would you like to have a long-lasting magic band to end that leak forever and keep your life?"

"What?" The gullible Ryouta asked. "Long-lasting band?"

"You see these wonderful bands on this lovely lady right over here?" Bakura gestured towards Mana.

Mana looked at Bakura confused, and he winked at her, asking her to just go with it.

"Yup!" Bakura continued cheerfully. "Feel free to check out the merchandise."

Ryouta inspected the cloth restrictors, poking at them. Mana felt uncomfortable when Ryouta came extremely close to her face. Even Bakura grew a bit jealous.

"This does look pretty strong." Ryouta told Bakura. "But why is one them around her mouth? Is she modeling as a bondage-"

"Do we have a deal or not?" Bakura snarled, dropping the friendly act.

"We sure do." Ryouta replied.

Ryouta tugged at the shackles, yet they wouldn't come off, of course.

"So...how do you remove the product?" he asked.

Bakura smirked. "Now, all you do is take that harpoon of yours and cut through it."

Ryouta looked down at his harpoon and back at the restrictors.

"Kay." he replied, finding nothing suspicious.

Mana squeezed her eyes shut as Ryouta lifted the harpoon. It cut through the cloth like butter. And miraculously, the shackles came off without being cut.

Mana smiled in happiness as she rubbed her wrists. "They're off!"

Now, the cloth was just merely cloth. Mana had to do something to make it magical again or else she and Bakura could end up killed.

"Your purpose is to make that leak stop. Now be powerful and not let any water drop!" Mana chanted softly.

Ryouta wrapped the cloth around the pipe, and Mana's spell went to work. The leak immediately stopped. The cloth didn't even get wet.

"Well, this works well!" Ryouta grinned. "So, what's your price?"

"Keep it." Bakura told him.

"Yeah, it's a free sample." Mana added, making it sound more convincing.

Bakura looked at Mana in surprise, gaining a new respect for her quick thinking.

"Well, thanks a lot!" Ryouta grinned.

Bakura and Mana quickly left out the back before anything else happened.

"Well, I guess the dagger the fate turned out to be the harpoon of fate." Mana laughed.

"Yeah..." Bakura replied, continuing to gaze at the magician. "And that was some spell you pulled off at the last minute."

"No one said I was an angel." Mana said, smirking.

Mana walked on ahead while Bakura just stood there, speechless for the first time in his life.

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><p>An hour later, Bakura and Mana were walking aimlessly through town. Mana was telling him all about what happened to her that day, and Bakura was having a great time for once.<p>

"So...evil perverted twins make sexual advances on you and crazy aunts hate you. That's some life you have." Bakura smirked.

"Thanks for getting those restrictors off of me." Mana said randomly.

"Don't mention it...ever." Bakura told her. "I'm no Samaritan."

"But you are nice." Mana interjected.

"Whatever." Bakura muttered.

Mana eyed Bakura. She noticed that he had no shirt on, which caused her virgin face to blush. She had never been so close to a man before. Atem, Jono, Yami, and Mahado didn't count. They were family to her. And now she's running around town with an infamous thief who happens to be shirtless. This is just another day in the life of the magician Mana.

"So...do you have a family?" Mana asked.

Bakura scoffed. "When I was younger, I had one for every day of the week."

"What?" Mana said, surprised.

"Yup. I never tied myself down to one family. Let's see...there were the Ahmes' on Mondays, then the Shai's on Tuesdays. Hell, I even stayed with the Kaiba's on Thursdays before. That was before Gozaburo's son Seto ran away."

"That's so sad..." Mana whispered.

"No it's not." Bakura replied. "When you're living footloose and shackle free, no one can have you, but you can have them. I don't stay in one place too long. And besides, families are for stuck-up pussies that have no adventure in their life."

"I have plenty of adventures at home!" Mana retorted.

"Like what? Getting licked by a thirteen year old and getting shackled up with cloth?" Bakura sneered.

Mana was about to counter his statement when her stomach suddenly growled. She clutched it in embarrassment.

"It sounds like you haven't eaten in days." Bakura said. "And neither have I."

Bakura stood still in thought for a moment. "I know the very place."

"Oh boy." Mana said sarcastically. "Last time you said that, we ended up in a bar. What's next, a harem?"

"Trust me, there's nothing in there for little girls like you to eat." Bakura smirked.

He snickered at Mana's appalled expression. "If you want food, then I suggest following me." he told her.

Mana slowly smiled as she walked behind Bakura.

* * *

><p>The sun was setting in the sky when Bakura stopped in front of the restaurant Bobasa's. Mana was just about to walk through the front door when Bakura quickly grabbed her hand and tugged her away.<p>

"We can't go in this way. I'm known as a thief around this area." Bakura explained to Mana. "I have my own private entrance."

Bakura led Mana around to the back entrance.

"Wait here." he ordered Mana.

Bakura walked up to the little half door he had grown attached to after all these years. He simply tapped on the door.

"I'm a comin'!" the familiar voice of Bobasa called.

He looked out the half door to see the smirking thief.

"Ahh! It's my favorite customer! Honda, look who's here!" Bobasa called happily.

"Well whadaya know! Long time no see, Bakura!" Honda grinned, standing next to Bobasa.

"Bring him the onion and trout before he eats ol' Bobasa." Bobasa told Honda.

"Sure thing." Honda replied, heading back to the kitchen.

Rolling his eyes, Bakura walked over to the waiting Mana. "It's not just me here for dinner, Bobasa."

He pulled Mana out of her hiding place. She blushed at the sudden attention.

"Well! Who do we have here? Hey Honda, come check out Bakura's new girlfriend!" Bobasa cried.

Bakura almost scowled at him, but for some reason, Bobasa calling Mana his girlfriend sounded right.

Honda came out of the kitchen and smiled at Mana.

"Oh Bakura you son of a dagger! He's got himself a cute one!"

"Hello." Mana said shyly.

"She's a sweet one too." Bobasa grinned.

He then talked to Bakura to the side. "You might want to settle down with deesh one, eh?"

A visible yet unnoticeable blush appeared on Bakura's cheeks.

"Deesh one?" Mana repeated, confused.

"Ignore him. Even though he's Egyptian, he's not good at speaking Egyptian." Bakura said quickly.

Out of nowhere, Bobasa set a table from inside his restaurant outside along with two chairs. Bakura and Mana sat down, both a bit confused. Bobasa sat a candle on the side of the table along with a jar of bread.

"Okay Bobasa, here is the onion and trout!" Honda announced, coming out of the kitchen.

Bobasa flipped the tray out of Honda's hands angrily.

"What's wrong with you?" he cried. "You don't feed this to a lady! Tonight, Bakura and his woman get the best of the best!"

Mana sunk down in her chair, slightly frightened. Bakura looked down at her, an amused look on his face.

"Okay Bobasa, you're the boss." Honda rolled his eyes.

Smiling, Bobasa placed a menu in front of Bakura and Mana.

"Now, what would you two like?" Bobasa asked.

Bakura studied the menu.

"What is...spaghetti?" Bakura asked.

"Glad you asked! We'll whip up this Italian dish for you two!" Bobasa grinned.

"Bobasa, he didn't clarify his-" Honda began.

"He clarified to _me_!" Bobasa snapped.

"Okay Bobasa, you're the boss." Honda muttered.

Honda scooped spaghetti and several meatballs onto a plate and delivered it to Bobasa, muttering something in English. Bobasa snatched the plate away and sat it in front of the amused pair along with two forks.

"Now here you go! The best spaghetti in all of Egypt!" Bobasa announced.

"That's because we just started serving Italian dishes." Honda muttered.

Bakura picked up the fork awkwardly, as if it were some kind of alien. Mana giggled.

"Bakura, you use a fork like this." she said.

She took his hand and twirled the fork into the spaghetti. Bakura felt his heart pound at the feel of her soft, feminine hands on his rough ones.

"Now just lift the fork to your mouth and eat it." Mana instructed.

"Yeah, because I'm not stupid or anything." Bakura muttered, following her instructions.

"We all know that much." Mana replied, smiling.

The two continued to eat their meal, avoiding eye contact. Then, all of a sudden, Bobasa came out of the kitchen with an accordion and Honda had a mandolin. They began to play and sing.

"Now thiiiiiiis is the niiiiiiight-"

Bakura cut them off with a deathly glare. "I swear to Ra, if you sing while I'm eating one more time, I will twist that accordion and mandolin up both your asses and leave it there."

The two cooks squeaked and ran back in the kitchen.

Mana started to giggle, and then it turned into a full-blown laugh.

"Lighten up, Bakura!" she told him.

"If only you were there that one time." Bakura replied.

Mana continued to laugh. "Whatever!"

The dinner carried on, and when the spaghetti was nearly gone, both ends of one long strand of spaghetti was being eaten by both Mana and Bakura. Their faces moved closer and closer together as they chewed. They were oblivious to the whole thing. Suddenly, their noses hit each other rather comically.

"Eep!" Mana yelped, turning her face away embarrassedly.

Bakura softly slurped the rest of the noodle in, gazing down at Mana. Before Bakura knew what he was doing, his hand reached out to get a hold of Mana's chin and turn it towards him.

They just stared at each other for several minutes before Bakura leaned his face in closer, his eyes half-lidded. The blush on Mana's face grew the closer he got. Finally, his lips captured hers, and Mana's eyes widened in shock. The two eventually closed their eyes as Bakura deepened the kiss, pressing his lips harder against hers.

Bobasa and Honda snuck out of the kitchen with their instruments and began to play and sing softy in unison.

"Look at the skies, they have stars in their eyes. On this lovely bella notte. Side by side with your loved one, you'll find enchantment here. The night will weave its magic spell, when the one you love is near! Oh, this is the night, and the heavens are right! On this lovely bella notte!"

As Bakura and Mana shared their first kiss under the moonlight, there was nothing that could ruin this moment for them.

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><p><strong>Awww! I am so happy now after writing this scene. Now, next chapter will be the aftermath of all of this...along with some more drama! Yayy! Until then, ja ne! :3<strong>

**PRK **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, hello! It's time for chapter 5! But first, to thank my looooovely reviewers!**

**RiverTear980**

**BlackRoseDragonCK**

**kate**

**Aqua girl 007**

**Happy reading!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 5 Summary: <strong>__Bakura and Mana make more memories together as they walk around town, sleep together (not like that!) till morning, and attempt to steal chickens for fun! What happens when Mana gets caught stealing and is taken to prison? She'll find out more than she bargained for about Bakura by his old comrades._

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><p>After eating, Bakura and Mana walked around town. Instead of acting awkward and insecure, the two were holding hands. Bakura was a bit surprised at himself.<p>

_Am I really falling in love with Mana?_ he questioned.

Mana suddenly dropped Bakura's hand and knelt down on the sand.

"What's the matter, Charmy?" Bakura asked.

Mana chanted a quick spell, and when she stood back up, a heart with their names with glyphs in the middle of it was engraved in the sand. She then pressed her hand below her name, and her handprint was left there.

"Your turn." Mana whispered.

Bakura bent over and pressed his hand below his name.

"It will just be blown away by the wind." Bakura told her.

"It won't in our hearts." Mana replied.

Bakura felt his heart beat faster and faster. It was a reaction that he had never experienced before. Bakura allowed his emotions to take over and capture Mana's lips again.

Mana closed her eyes as she kissed him back.

_Is he the one?_ she wondered. _Is he the one I have been waiting to fall in love with?_

The two of them didn't have an answer to their questions, but they did know that they would never forget this evening as long as they lived.

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><p>Mana slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times. Her vision was blurry for a second, but it eventually cleared itself. She realized that they were lying in a field of flowers, a field she had never seen before. It was at the moment that she felt something warm against her. She snuggled up closer to the warmth, feeling a beating heart. It was Bakura.<p>

He was still asleep, and he had his arms wrapped around her and his face was in the crook of her neck. Mana was in a moment of bliss, but then reality hit her.

"Oh no!" Mana cried, jumping out of Bakura's protective hold.

Bakura yawned and rolled over on his back. "What?" he asked, grumpy that Mana's warmth was no longer there.

"It's morning!" Mana told Bakura.

"What?" Bakura repeated.

"I've been gone from the palace for a whole day! Jono, Yami, and Master Mahado must be worried about me!"

"You still believe in that family stuff?" Bakura rolled his eyes. "If they were truly concerned, they would have sent out guards by now. You're considered a delinquent."

Mana looked away.

Sighing, Bakura sat up and put a hand on Mana's shoulder.

"Open up your eyes." Bakura told her.

"Open my eyes?" Mana repeated, confused.

"To what a person's life can really be. Come with me." Bakura said.

Mana quietly followed Bakura. She was surprised that they were on a hill of flowers instead of a regular field.

"Now, what do you see?" Bakura asked.

Mana looked over the hill and looked at the area around them.

"Well..." Mana said slowly. "I see the noble's area. I see nice houses, the priests' sanctuary, and...the palace..."

"Yeah, that fairytale crap is a life in shackles." Bakura smirked. "Look again, Charmy."

Blinking her eyes, Mana looked down again.

"There's a whole new world beyond there." Bakura said.

Indeed he was right. Beyond the town of Thebes was an oasis that was far away.

"There are no laws and restrictions out there." Bakura explained. "That's a perfect place for someone to have the freedom to do whatever they want. I was planning on going over there alone...until I met you."

Mana's eyes widened as she looked up at Bakura. His eyes remained on the oasis.

"Now I want to take you with me, Charmy." he finished.

Mana looked at the oasis longingly. Then, she looked down, making her decision.

"It all sounds wonderful and all..." Mana trailed off.

For the first time in his life, Bakura felt gut-wrenching disappointment.

"But?" Bakura asked stiffly.

"Who'd watch over my baby brother? Mother and Father won't always have time to nurture him." Mana pointed out.

Bakura was silent for a while, and Mana felt really bad. Finally, he lifted his head and gave her a small, forced smile.

"Fine. You win." he gave in.

"Thank you..." Mana whispered.

"Well, I'd better get you home to your crazy aunt and deranged cousins." Bakura muttered.

Bakura began to walk away, and Mana silently followed him.

_Even though Mana just rejected us being together...I still can't drop her like I have others in the past. What's wrong with me?_

As they walked in silence, Bakura suddenly started singing "Bella Notte" from the other night way off key.

"Damn it!" Bakura hissed, covering his mouth.

"Is that why you don't like music when you eat?" Mana asked, giggling.

"That's exactly why! When I remember food, I remember songs." Bakura muttered.

Suddenly, the two came upon a farm with a chicken coop. He smirked.

"Not to change the subject, but I'm sure you haven't stolen chickens before, hmm?" he asked.

"Luckily I haven't." Mana replied.

"Then you've never lived." Bakura said.

He jumped and climbed over the five foot five fence that attempted to keep the animals in and intruders out in one step.

"Bakura, we can't." Mana told him frantically. "We'll get in trouble!"

"I know! That's what makes it so enjoyable. Come on." Bakura said holding his arms out over the fence.

Mana stubbornly looked away.

"Oh come on, kid. You need to start growing an edge to that innocent exterior of yours. Innocence won't keep you in this world long." Bakura told her.

Sighing, Mana reluctantly reached up, and Bakura grabbed Mana from under her arms and lifted her over the fence.

"You won't kill anybody that sees us, will you?" Mana asked uneasily.

Bakura scoffed. "I'm the King of Thieves. I only kill when it's beneficial or if my life is in danger. This here is just amusement."

"That makes me feel so much better." Mana replied sarcastically.

"Just shut up and follow me."

Mana still felt uneasy as Bakura edged towards the coop. The coop was kind of far from the fence, but the chickens could easily pick up their motion if they walked casually towards their nesting place. However, the chickens were still in their nests, completely oblivious to the world.

Bakura beckoned Mana closer with his index finger.

"The most basic skill to have as a thief is to keep low and keep quiet." he informed Mana.

Bakura took Mana's hand and he crept inside the coop with Mana behind him. He made silent steps, and Mana tried to do the same which was kind of difficult. Bakura had well-worn inexpensive cloth shoes. Mana's shoes were rigid and made from cow hide. Bakura placed his free index finger to his lips as he snuck over to two chickens.

Thirty seconds later, the entire coop was in an uproar of panic. Bakura and Mana broke through the feathery animals, each holding one frightened chicken. Bakura was in high spirits as they ran for the fence.

"Some exciting adventure, huh Charmy?" Bakura asked. "You'd never get to do awesome stuff like this back in that stern palace!"

"Hey! What's going on in there?" the owner of the farm shouted.

"Oh, shit! He's onto us already! Mana, move your ass!" Bakura shouted to Mana.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Mana shouted back.

The farmer began to retaliate. Arrows were shot in Bakura and Mana's direction.

_Shit._ Bakura seethed. _If this was just me, I'd make it out with the chicken. But..._

"Forget the chickens! Just run!" Bakura called to Mana, dropping his chicken.

Mana did the same, and she was able to run faster. They made it to the fence without getting shot by an arrow. Bakura jumped and swung over the fence. He waited for a split second to see Mana on the fence. He then continued to run, thinking Mana would make it over since she was halfway there.

Before Mana could make it completely over, an arrow shot her skirt and it was pinned to the fence. To her surprise, it was an enchanted arrow, so no spell could remove it.

"Bakura!" Mana screamed.

She realized that he was already gone, and her tears spilled over.

"He left me here..." Mana whispered.

She felt the rough hands of the farmer grab her. Mana screamed and kicked, but her efforts were futile.

"Thief!" the farmer shouted. "The royal guards will be over here to take you away to prison!"

Mana gave up and stayed there helplessly as the farmer dragged her away.

Bakura stopped running ten minutes later, panting slightly. He wiped his brow and smiled in victory at how fast he was able to get away.

"You know, there's a bit of cheetah in all of us, right Charmy?" he asked.

He turned around and saw no one.

"Charmy?" he called, alarmed.

Frantically, Bakura retraced his steps, looking in every nook and cranny.

"Charmy! Where are you, Charmy?" Bakura cried.

As Bakura began to run back to the farm, countless thoughts were spinning through his head.

_Why do I care so much? Why am I spending time looking for a girl who wants to go back to the palace? Why am I even going after one of the court's magicians?_

Bakura stopped running as he searched through his feelings. As he came upon an answer, he continued his search for Mana. By the time he reached the farm, the royal guards stationed in that area had already taken Mana, and she's currently in real metal shackles, heading for the prison in a horse-drawn wagon.

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><p>The prison was about five miles away from the palace. Mana's sadness grew as the wagon went right past her home. She put her head in her knees and began to cry.<p>

"Why did this happen to me?" she asked herself. "Why me?"

The wagon stopped in front of the prison, and the royal guard opened the wagon door.

"Come on." he said gruffly.

He grabbed Mana by the arm and escorted her roughly into the prison.

"There is no special treatment for prisoners." Atem had warned Mana years ago. "It doesn't matter if you're a peasant or even a pharaoh like myself. You will be mistreated and handled roughly. It's best to just stay out of trouble."

_Why didn't I listen to Father?_ Mana moaned to herself, feeling more tears spill over.

The guard opened the walls of the prison and yanked Mana inside. The prison was hot and smelly. There were about four to eight people in the cells. Most of them were dirty old men who shouted perverted obscenities at her. Others just whistled and licked their licks. Even the women checked Mana out. Mana shuddered, then sighed in relief as the guard led her past those cells. In other cells, there were small children inside. Some were beating each other up, and others were crying.

Finally, the guard opened a cell that had four other people inside. Some looked around Mana age, and one looked a tad older. The guard tossed Mana in.

"Your prison number is four. Remember it." The guard snapped as he closed and locked the cell back.

Mana scrambled to her feet and looked at her new cellmates, a bit frightened. One had long, shaggy brown hair with a purple bang, one was a female that had long blond hair that was on the floor asleep, another had short blue hair, and the last one had long white hair that was in a corner doing whatever. There were two other kids in the cell next to them that were mingling with her cellmates. One was really tall with brown hair that looked older than her. The other was a child with long black hair.

"Wow, check this out, guys." the long brown haired boy Dinosaur Ryuzaki smirked. "It's the all-star Miss Spellcaster herself!"

"Hmmm, it's the pharaoh's adopted daughter." the blue haired one Insector Haga added.

"Yeah, that's quite the outfit she's wearing." Ryuzaki sneered, looking at the expensive material in her clothes.

"What's in for us, magician? Rabbits out of your hat?" Haga snickered, pointing at the ivory hat on Mana's head.

Ryuzaki and Haga busted with laughter. The noise woke the sleeping blond. She glared at Ryuzaki and Haga and got up.

"Alright, alright, you guys! Lay off, would ya?" she snapped, getting in-between her thief friends.

"Aw, what's the matter, Mai?" Ryuzaki asked, disappointed.

"We were only having a bit of fun." Haga added.

"Can't you see this poor kid is scared enough?" Mai asked, gesturing towards the timid Mana.

"Pay no attention to those two idiots, magician." The tall short brown-haired boy told Mana.

"That's right, hon." Mai told Mana. "They don't mean any harm."

"Those fools are like a foot." the brown haired boy added smugly. "They like to step on others, but don't like it when others step on them...literally. They're so short that you can step on them, magician."

"Hey! We heard that!" Ryuzaki shouted.

Mai giggled and faced Mana. "Seto over here is really smart in more ways in one. He has plenty of book smarts for him to be a pharaoh. Yet his smart mouth is one of the reasons why he's here in jail."

"Hey!" Seto retorted. "That guard was asking for a roasting session!"

"A guard caught Seto stealing from a vendor. And instead of politely making up an excuse like a normal thief does, he bad-mouthed the guard so bad that the guard nearly killed him." Mai explained to Mana.

Seto ignored Mai and continued to talk to Mana. "At least you are of a noble rank. As elite spellcaster, you're close to the rank of one of the pharaoh's priest. Someone will undoubtedly come to get you out."

"Really...? Mana asked.

Mai nodded, smiling wistfully.

The white haired boy suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked at his new and hopefully temporary cellmate.

"Ryou, how far are we?" Ryuzaki hissed to the boy.

Mana saw that Ryou was digging a hole in the ground and under the jail. He had a small shovel.

"About two more feet's worth of sand left, then we'll be out." Ryou replied shyly...

"Great!" Ryuzaki grinned.

The sound of a cell opening could be heard, so Ryou sat on the hole he was digging. They witnessed five prisoners in shackles being led out the back of the prison.

"There go five more." Ryuzaki whispered. "Those are the twentieth prisoners this week!"

"Where are the guards taking them?" Mana asked warily.

"They're taking the walk of death." Ryuzaki replied.

"The walk of death?" Mana repeated, frightened.  
>"Yeah." Ryuzaki continued. "They can't keep all of the prisoners in here forever. Depending on the sentence the royal guards place on the prisoners, the ones who have a one year or more sentencing are put to death in six months, otherwise there will be overcrowding."<p>

"And unfortunately, all of us in this group have a one year sentence. We've already been here three months." the black haired boy Mokuba said sadly.

Frightened, Ryou continued his digging at a faster speed.

"Oh well." Haga sighed. "A life short lived is a life worth living."

"Yup." Ryuzaki replied, scratching his back on a cell bar. "That's what the great King of Thieves always said."

"The King of Thieves?" Mana repeated, her eyes widening in familiarity.

"Yeah, there's a guy that never gets caught!" Haga said excitedly.

"He can slip through every guard and trap in display." Ryuzaki added.

"You might not believe this hon, but no matter what kind of trouble he's in, the thief always finds some way out." Mai said.

"I can quite easily believe that" Mana replied icily.

"But don't forget Mai, even the King of Thieves has his Achilles heel." Seto reminded Mai.

"What's a "chili's heel"?" Mokuba asked innocently.

"It's "Achilles heel", little brother." Seto told him. "It's his weaknesses."

"Oh, the damsels in distress! I remember." Ryuzaki said.

"He has an eye for a beautiful young lass." Haga added.

Mana just looked at them, not entirely sure what their point was.

"Let's see..." Haga rubbed his chin. "There's been that exotic dancer Teana..."

Mana looked at Haga in shock, eyes widening.

"Yeah, and that little eight year old girl he messed around with at thirteen Rebecca..." Ryuzaki added.

Mana's eyes widened even more.

"And my sister Amane." Ryou piped up.

Mana twitched in anger.

"Oh, and don't forget this one boy that Bakura thought was a girl two years ago." Haga continued. "He was vacationing here for a month. Bakura said that the guy called himself Mariku, and insisted that he was a girl...until Bakura found out the disgusting way."

_Crack._ Mana felt her brain snap in two. Bakura dated her _male cousin_?

"What a man." said Mai, a shameless expression on her face.

"Yeah, tell us about him, Mai." Ryuzaki told her.

"What a man." Mai repeated, running her fingers through her hair.

"Mai used to be a dancer in a harem before becoming one of Bakura's thief comrades." Haga whispered to Mana.

"He's a thief, but they love him." Mai began. "Breaks a new heart every day. He's a thief. They adore him. And I only hope he'll stay that way. He's a thief. He's a scoundrel. He's a rounder. He's a cad. He's a thief, but I love him. Yes, even I have got it pretty bad. You can never tell when he'll show up. He gives you plenty of trouble. I guess he's just a no-count kid."

Mana was shocked with all of this new information learned about the King of Thieves. Her thoughts and feelings for him were rapidly changing.

"But I wish that he were double." Mai continued. "He's a thief. He's a rover. And there's nothing more to say. If he's a thief, he's a good one. And I wish that I could travel his way..."

Mai started back to her side of the cell. "I wish that I could travel his way..."

Mai turned back around to face everyone as she shamelessly said. "I wish that I could travel his way..."

With that, Mai smirked and winked at Mana.

Mana was saddened and angered. So this is the person Bakura truly was. She should have known that there was more to the King of Thieves than just his title.

"Yeah, he never takes his ladies seriously, though. And he never will" Ryuzaki told Mana.

"I disagree, Ryuzaki." Seto cut in. "I bet that he'll find someone who is different. I did. Remember Shizuka?"

"Yeah, she was so nice and sweet...unlike you." Ryuzaki snickered. "That's probably why she moved away."

"Anyways," Seto growled. "The King might find a fragile woman who's giving him the chance to shelter and protect." he said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Like Miss Magician over here, eh?" Haga sneered.

"Maybe..." Seto replied, looking at Mana smugly. "But if he ever does..."

"I'm way ahead of ya." Mai said. "He'll be under the spell of true love." she said with dismay.

"Yeah, but the chump is growing more and more careless." Haga pointed out.

"Yeah, and if the guards get him..." Seto said.

"Then it's lights out for the King of Thieves." Ryuzaki finished.

Mana's eyes widened at what they were implying.

At the moment, the walls to the prison opened and a two different guards entered. Ryou sat on his hole.

"It's number four!" one guard called to the other.

The guard walked over to Mana's cell and unlocked it. "Come on out." he said. "Your aunt has come to take you home."

Mana hesitantly stepped out of the cell. She waved goodbye to her new friends as she left the prison, unsure if she would ever see them again.

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><p>Jono and Yami stood outside Mana's new temporary home. They heard about her running away and her short time in prison. Compliments of Isis, the royal priests all sentenced Mana to isolation. They had no choice. Because of her crime of attempted theft, it was either that or a one year sentence in prison. The absolute suspension her powers were also up for discussion. Mahado had shaken his head in utter disappointment as he put a spell on the hut.<p>

She was all alone in an enchanted hut. Her wrists and ankles were shackled. There were no chains attached, but she could only go so far out of the hut since a spell was also put on the shackles. The hut was right outside the palace next to Isis' temporary room, so Jono and Yami snuck in when Isis was out and about.

"Remember Yami," Jono told him. "Have courage."

Jono was shaking in fear himself. They had no idea how Mana would react to them.

"Ladies first." Yami replied, hopping behind Jono.

"Very funny." Jono snapped. "But no matter what, we'll always be her best friends."

Jono stuck his head inside the hut. "Mana?" he called.

"Lady." Yami called as well, sticking his head inside.

Mana was on the ground curled up into a ball.

"Please, I don't want to see anyone." she mumbled.

"C'mon Mana, we're you're best friends. Don't feel about it that way" Jono told her.

"That's right." Yami added. "I mean, Seto Kaiba was one of the smartest guys I knew, and he ended up being a jailbird."

Jono whacked Yami on the head. "Don't bring any of that up!" he hissed.

Jono faced Mana again with a smile. "We came with a proposition."

Mana looked up curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Since you're not happy with the people here, maybe you can..." Jono trailed off.

"Sure, we aren't as wealthy as Uncle Atem, but you can stay..." Yami trailed off as well.

"You two are the best. I do appreciate your offer, but-"

"Charmy?" an unwanted voice called.

Bakura walked over to the hut, but stopped abruptly when he saw Jono and Yami scowling at him. The two boys and Mana both turned their backs on Bakura and sat on the ground.

"Uh, anything new going on?" Bakura asked, trying for the first time to lighten up the mood.

The three continued to ignore his presence.

"Looks like I'm the one that's isolated." Bakura muttered.

He stood behind Mana and tapped her shoulder. "I picked something up for you." he said, presenting a feminine necklace. It was silver. "And I didn't steal it, if that makes you happy."

Mana "hmphed" and walked over to the other side of the hut.

"If you want us to remove this sleaze, Lady..." Yami began.

"Then we'll happily throw him out." Jono growled.

"That won't be necessary, but thanks." Mana replied.

"As you wish." Yami replied, glaring at Bakura before leaving.

Jono stomped over to Bakura and got in his face.

"You..._dick!_" he shouted.

To prove his point, Jono kicked Bakura where the sun doesn't shine. Jono then caught up with Yami and left.

While groveling in pain and holding his crotch, Bakura looked at Mana and for the first time felt...sad.

"Come on Char, it wasn't my fault." Bakura said, agonizingly walking over to her.

Mana "hmphed" again and walked back to the other side of the hut.

"Mana, I just got kicked in the nuts. Please listen to me!" Bakura pleaded.

Mana continued to walk away from him.

"I thought you were right behind me, honest!" Bakura told her, sorely following Mana. "When I heard they had taken you to prison-"

"Oh don't remind me of that horrible place!" Mana sobbed, retreating to her hut. "I was so embarrassed and scared..."

"Now who could ever hurt an amazing girl like you?" Bakura asked, poking his head into her hut.

"Girl? _Girl?_" Mana repeated angrily. "That reminds me; _who_ is _Rebecca?_" she asked, storming towards Bakura.

Bakura backed up, slightly fearing for his life.

"Rebecca?" he repeated, knowing he was in trouble.

"And Teana! And Amane! And my own _cousin_, Marik, who is a _guy!_" Mana shouted in his face. "Or should I say, _Mariku?_"

"Mariku...Oh! Oh, well, I can explain-" Bakura stammered.

"As far as I'm concerned, you don't have to worry about your damn heel!" Mana yelled.

"My heel?" Bakura repeated, confused.

"I don't need you to shelter and protect me!"

"Yes, but, but, but-"

"If you grow careless, don't blame me! And I don't care if the guards do capture you! Goodbye! And take this with you!" Mana threw the necklace that belong to his deceased mother back at him and ran inside her hut, beginning to cry.

Bakura felt his heart break into a million pieces as he slowly left the palace.

"I didn't love those girls...and guy." Bakura whispered. "I love you..."

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><p><strong>I feel so bad for Bakura!<strong>

**Atem: Because he got his heart broken-?**

**Me: No! Because he got kicked in the nuts!**

**Atem: *face palm***

**Me: The next chapter is the final chapter, ladies and gents! I have school tomorrow, I'm not sure if I'll be able to update tomorrow, but I'll try! This is PRK saying ja ne! :3**


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow...even though I said I would never abandon this story, I did. Strange, isn't it? Oh well, we are finally at the last chapter of Lady and the Thief! Now I have to go back to updating Brand New Breeze! Not that there's anything wrong with that. :P Before we get started (well, before we get ended), I'd like to thank my still looooovely reviewers!**

**RiverTear980**

**Angel the Neko**

**Aqua girl 007**

**BlackRoseDragonCK**

**dr-fanmai-lover**

**kate**

**Stephanie Phelps**

**Happy reading!**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 6: <strong>__After Mana banned Bakura from sight, an assassin tries to get inside the pharaoh's room and kill baby Yugi! What will unfold when Mana can only turn to one person for help? Will there be a happy ending?_

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><p>Mana peeped out of her hut to see Bakura gone. Sighing, she sat on the floor as thunder roared outside. She put her head in her hands and cried. She just turned the only other person she had away…<p>

Bakura angrily stormed out of the palace in a blind rage. He was a bit more reckless than usual. He wasn't exactly welcome, and he wasn't careful of the guards since Mana wouldn't care. Unbeknownst to Bakura, a shadowy figure watched the route Bakura came out of.

"That's my ticket in." the figure smirked. "Watch out pharaoh. When you come back home, you will have no heir to the throne. Then my empire will declare war!"

With a sinister laugh, the intruder snuck in the palace.

Even though all of Mana's powers were locked away in shackles, she could still sense something dangerous coming her way, and she knew it wasn't Bakura. Mana hid in her hut and peeked from behind the corner to ensure her own safety. From where she was standing, she could see a hooded figure walking her way. Mana eyes squinted, and she could see blue locks. The man was way too tall to be Haga, and Haga was in prison. It could only be one other person. Dartz! He is pharaoh Atem's greatest enemy, and before Mana was brought to Egypt, there was a battle that broke out and Atem and his priests defeated Dartz and his army. Sixteen years later, Dartz has come back for revenge.

_I have to do something._ Mana thought. _If not, he could infiltrate the palace!_

Taking a deep breath, Mana jumped out of her hut with a snarl. The hooded Dartz flinched slightly in surprise, but smirked when he saw who it was.

"Well, if it isn't the king's troublesome daughter." he sneered.

"Turn back now!" Mana warned him. "You don't know who you're dealing with. I'm an elite spellcaster!"

Dartz threw his head back and laughed. "Don't try to trick me! We all know that you were sentenced to isolation and the stripping of your powers! That's why you're living in a hut with shackles on you."

Still laughing, Dartz walked past Mana. Before Dartz could get out of her range, Mana jumped on the back of Dartz. The force knocked him over.

"You stay out!" Mana shouted, pounding Dartz with her fists.

"You insolent girl!" Dartz growled.

He grabbed Mana's arm and literally threw her back into her hut. She landed on her back painfully.

"I'll deal with _you_ after I deal with the damned pharaoh's heir!" Dartz hissed. "It's not like you're going anywhere, right?"

With a snicker, Dartz continued on his way.

"Stop right there!" Mana shouted.

Mana ran out of her hut, but an electrical shock from Mahado's enchanted shackles stopped her dead in her tracks. Mahado's spell only allowed Mana to go so far out of the hut. Mana screamed in pain as she tried to resist the electricity.

"Nooo! NOOO!" Mana shouted.

A candle was lit in Isis' room, and she went to her window, tired and pissed.

"Stop that racket, Mana!" she shouted. "You are not getting out!"

With that, Isis went back to bed for the rest of the night.

"Aunt Isis! Come back! Please listen to me!" Mana cried.

There was no answer. Dartz snickered as he used his own magic to climb up the palace walls. From there, he used an invisibility spell so he could get inside a window and find Yugi's room, undetected.

Mana continued to force her way out of the enchanted shackles, but bolt after bolt of electricity wore her down. Finally, she crumpled to the ground, breathing heavily. A roar of thunder sounded the night sky, and rain began to pour. Mana looked up from the ground and into the crying sky.

"YUGI!" Mana cried, her tears joining the raindrops.

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><p>Bakura was slowly walking to nowhere. He was in a daze and his guard was down. He snapped out of it when raindrops pelted him.<p>

"Shit. This is just great." Bakura muttered.

Before he could take off for shelter, he heard a loud scream accent the sound of the rain.

"_YUGI!" _the voice shouted.

Bakura's eyes slowly widened as he realized the only person who could be associated with that name.

"Mana..." he whispered.

Without thinking things through, Bakura ran back to behind the palace, the rain enveloping him in a relentless sheet.

_I have to find her...something's wrong, and no one is listening to her cry!_ Bakura thought, a dangerous glint in his eye. _And whoever is oppressing her will die by my hands!_

Bakura ran his fastest, dodging people still outside and hopping over stands and other barricades. He reached the palace in record time. He then saw that the guards in front of the gate were frozen.

"Someone has bewitched the guards." Bakura murmured, waving a hand in front of one of their faces.

He went inside the palace gates, and found that guards there were frozen too. Bakura hurried to the back of the palace, worried about Mana. When he reached Mana's hut, he found her lying on the ground, the freshly created mud covering her.

"Mana! Mana!" Bakura cried, dropping to his knees in front of her. "Mana, get up!"

Mana slowly looked up to see Bakura's face.

"Bakura...you came back..." she said softly.

Bakura sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap so he could have her full attention.

"Of course I did. I heard you scream your brother's name. What happened?" Bakura asked, a bit impatient.

Mana broke into tears and her head fell in his chest.

"Dartz is going to kill him!" Mana wailed.

"Whoa, whoa, wait! Give me details!" Bakura snapped. "If you want your brother to be saved, you'll have to tell me who the hell Dartz is!"

"H-he's my father's enemy!" Mana sobbed. "He knew that he was away, and he knew that I was in isolation, so he came to take out my baby brother and possibly me! Please Bakura, you have to stop him!"

"What does this "Dartz" look like?" Bakura asked.

"He has long blue hair, and has one green eye and one amber eye. He's wearing a long black hooded cloak. He also has powerful magic!" Mana explained frantically.

"Where is Yugi's room?" Bakura asked.

"He's on the left side of the palace, about halfway from Aunt Isis' room up there. His room has a purple door!"

"Stay here." Bakura murmured, standing up. "I'm not coming back out until Dartz is dead...or I die trying."

With that, Bakura ran over to the palace walls and climbed up by hand.

"Be careful!" Mana shouted, more tears falling.

Bakura made it to the window and looked back at Mana.

"I'm all about careful!" he shouted back rather cockily.

With that, Bakura infiltrated the palace. It was dark inside the palace, and Bakura used his well-trained eyes to watch out for any type of object that made noise. He heard loud snoring, so he walked inside the room where the noise was coming from. He saw two boys. He saw one to be "Mariku". He immediately knew that it was Mana's deranged cousin.

"You little fucker..." Bakura snarled, glaring at Marik. "If I didn't have any morals of killing, I'd exterminate you where you sleep."

With that, Bakura continued creeping around. Then, he heard another noise. It sounded like footsteps, but he couldn't see anyone.

_It must be Dartz._ Bakura thought, keeping low. _Mana said he had magic, so he must be using it._

The footsteps stopped at a purple door, and Bakura's eyes widened, realizing that was Yugi's room. Bakura followed the invisible Dartz inside and hid behind the door. He saw Dartz reveal himself.

"Look at you, Yugi." Dartz evilly cooed at the sleeping baby. "If only you knew what was coming for you."

Dartz took out a dagger, and rose above Yugi's heart. At that moment, Bakura leapt out from behind the door and tackled Dartz, making him drop his weapon.

"What the hell?" Dartz shouted.

Bakura flipped Dartz over so that he could see his face. "You made a big mistake coming here, Dartz."

"Who are you?" Dartz seethed.

Bakura smirked. "What, you haven't heard of me? My name is Bakura, the King of Thieves."

Bakura attempted to strike Dartz, but he used his magic to teleport out of the way.

"If you want to rid of me, then you'll have to do better than that." Dartz laughed, using his magic to turn invisible.

Bakura frantically looked around, trying to hear where Dartz was.

"You coward! Show yourself and fight me like a man!" Bakura shouted.

Dartz reappeared behind Bakura and kicked him in the back. "Gladly." he smirked.

* * *

><p>Mana continued to pull against Mahado's magic. Her strength was renewed when Bakura went inside the palace. Despite the pain, Mana was determined to be free.<p>

"I am Mana...the Elite Spellcaster... of my father Pharaoh Atem!" Mana shouted, pulling harder. "And I will never stop trying to do what I believe is right!"

Mana tugged her hardest.

"I _will_ protect those important to me! And I _will_ be free!"

The shackles cracked until they finally shattered. Mahado's spell dissipated, and Mana felt her magic return to her.

"Yes!" Mana cried.

Mana quickly chanted a spell. "I know that what I have done may have been incorrect. But I know where I stand, so let my scepter come so I can protect!"

Mana's scepter flew out of the palace and into Mana's hands. Using her magic, Mana flew inside one of the palace windows and hurried to Yugi's room. But before that, she stopped by Marik and Melvin's room. With an evil grin, she chanted a quick spell on them, and then continued to Yugi's room.

* * *

><p>So far, Bakura wasn't holding up well against Dartz. Dartz's magic was just too much for Bakura to take on alone. Finally, Bakura found an opening and unsheathed his dagger. He took a stab to Dartz's stomach, but it didn't penetrate any flesh. Dartz simply laughed and tossed Bakura's dagger away.<p>

"You forget that I can do anything! I could kill you where you stand with a snap of my fingers, but I'm having way too much fun to slay you, boy."

"I am not to be taken lightly." Bakura snarled, his eyes narrowing. "You don't realize what I have around my neck, do you?"

"Heh, what are you blabbering about, thief?" Dartz mocked.

"What I have around my neck can not only destroy cities, but it can also destroy souls." Bakura growled. "I present to you, the Millennium Ring."

The said Millennium Item began to glow, and Dartz's eyes widened at the power he sensed.

_Damn, it looks like I'll have to use all of my power...including the Orichalcos. _Dartz thought.

A beam shot out of the Millennium Ring, and a beam shot out of Dartz's left green colored eye.

"What is that?" Bakura shouted. "You're resisting the Millennium Ring!"

Dartz laughed. "Not only do I have magic, I have the power of the Orichalcos, a power as old as time itself!"

The Orichalcos beam overpowered the Millennium Ring, and Bakura was shot back towards Yugi's bed. He knocked it over and crashed into other object, making them crash to the ground. Yugi began to cry, his wails heard throughout the left wing of the palace...including Aunt Isis.

"What was that?" she asked, panicked.

"Aw, look what you did, Bakura. You made the baby cry." Dartz laughed.

"You sick bastard!" Bakura snarled, wiping blood from his mouth. "You'll pay for this!"

"Bakura!" a female voice cried.

Bakura looked up to see Mana racing into Yugi's room. She pushed past Dartz with surprising force.

"Mana! I told you to stay outside!" Bakura shouted.

"Shut up and listen!" Mana snapped.

Bakura immediately closed his mouth.

"I couldn't stay back outside." she murmured. "You always wanted to do things alone, even if it was for other people. I broke free of my shackles because I want to protect those important to me. I want to protect my baby brother...and I want to protect you."

Bakura's eyes widened at the girl before him. She placed her palm on his left cheek.

"Please Bakura, let me help you. I'm sorry for throwing you out of my life like a piece of garbage. That was a mistake I will never make again. I love you Bakura, and you are more than just a thief. You are a man who cares in his own little way."

Mana kissed Bakura's cheek. Suddenly, Mana started to choke.

"Mana?" Bakura asked, nervous. "Mana?"

Bakura then realized that the culprit was Dartz, who grew tired of their talk.

"Sorry to cut the wedding short, but a second rate magician isn't going to save you or your kingdom." Dartz smirked.

He used his magic to toss Mana against the bedroom wall, knocking into Anzu's rocking chair. She gasped in pain, the force of the blow almost knocking her out.

"How _dare_ you!" Bakura shouted, charging at Dartz. The fighting started up again, but this time, it was more destructive. Beams and rays were shot at each other, which began to destroy the bedroom. Yugi was still crying. Mana looked at her baby brother and began to chant a spell.

"Yugi is innocent and deserves to be alive. Shower him with protection against Dartz so he may survive."

Yugi was instantly covered in a pinkish blue light. His crying ceased. Sighing in relief, Mana slowly got up and aimed her scepter at Dartz.

"You will not get away with this..." Mana said slowly. "You tried to kill my brother, and then you put Bakura's life in danger. Better yet, you tried to kill me as well."

A golden light came from her scepter and enclosed Dartz.

"What the hell?" he seethed.

Dartz tried to use the Orichalcos, but unlike that and the Millennium Ring, Mana's power is pure light, so his attacks were purified. However, that doesn't mean that a dark influence couldn't get inside.

"Now, Bakura! Use your Millennium Ring!" Mana cried.

Nodding, Bakura's Millennium Ring began to glow again, and a violet beam penetrated Mana's light, sending Dartz to the Shadow Realm. As he fell to the ground, Anzu's tattered drapes went with him, completely covering him.

"We did it!" Mana sighed, slumping to the ground.

She noticed that Dartz was still breathing through the drapes, and she looked at Bakura, confused.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"I sent him to the Shadow Realm." Bakura replied. "He will remain there until he picks up the pieces of his heart and puts it back together. Only then will he return to the world a changed man. Remember, I don't kill unless my life is in danger or if it's beneficial." Bakura smirked.

"But wasn't your life in danger?" Mana asked.

Bakura stooped down next to Mana and lifted her chin with his index finger.

"Nah." he replied cockily.

At that moment, the light surrounding Yugi disappeared. He plopped to the floor and started to cry again, just in time for Isis, Mahado, and several royal guards to see. Yami and Jono suddenly ran up too.

"Oh, Ra!" Isis cried, running over to pick up baby Yugi.

The room was a mess. Pottery was broken, objects were on the floor, the beds were in disarray, and other appliances were destroyed. Isis turned to Mana, but saw Bakura next to her. She screamed in fear.

"You vicious brutes!" Isis shouted. "Mana! Get out! Guards, get this murderer!"

"No! He's innocent!" Mana shouted.

Mahado just grabbed Mana's arm and pulled her out. Mana saw the guards arrest Bakura, and he didn't even put up a fight!

"No! Bakura!" Mana cried, tears spilling over.

"If you know what's good for you, you'd eradicate him immediately!" Isis went on.

"You don't have to worry, Lady Isis. We've been after the King of Thieves for years." one of the guards said, giving Bakura a victorious smirk. "We'll take care of him."

Bakura gave the guard a deathly glare, but still refused to fight.

_If I have to die to ensure that Mana won't get into any more trouble, then I'll do it. _Bakura thought. _Ever since I met her, I've been causing her trouble. She's a sweet girl, and I was wrong when I said that innocence won't keep someone in the world long. Goodbye, Mana._

Pharaoh Atem and Anzu were in their carriage on their way back to the palace when they saw the place in an uproar.

"What's going on over there?" Atem asked uneasily.

In the distance, they could hear shouts about Yugi.

"Oh no! My baby!" Anzu cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Yah!" Atem shouted, slapping the reins against his two horses.

Atem's horses sped up, knowing that this was urgent.

_If something happened to my son or Mana, I will never forgive myself. _Atem thought.

* * *

><p>As the guards led Bakura out to the wagon, Jono shook his head in disgust.<p>

"I was certain he was no good the moment I first laid eyes on him."

Yami seemed uncertain. "Yeah, but...I never thought he'd do a thing like that."

Meanwhile, Mana was crying into Mahado's arm as she told him what happened from when she almost killed Yugi to when Bakura was framed.

"And then, he went inside the palace to save Yugi!" she sobbed. "Dartz tried to kill him!"

Mahado's eyes widened. "Dartz is in the palace?"

"Yes, but he's been knocked out, and will be for a while. Bakura saved Yugi, yet we are condemning him to death!"

"Where is Dartz now? Proof will surely change everyone's mind." Mahado suggested.

"He's still in my parent's room, under my mother's drapes!"

Mahado grabbed Mana's hand and they raced back. By then, Atem and Anzu were in their room. The guards filled Atem and Anzu in on everything that had transpired, including Mana running away.

"Where is Mana?" Atem demanded. "Is she hurt? Where is she?"

"Dad! I'm here!" Mana cried.

Atem squeezed Mana in a huge hug while Isis rolled her eyes at the adopted daughter.

"Dad, Bakura didn't do anything wrong!" Mana cried, releasing her father.

"And she has proof, my king." Mahado added.

"The real attempted murderer...is Dartz!" Mana shouted.

She snatched the drapes off of Dartz's unconscious body, and everyone gasped in shock. Isis fainted on the floor. Somehow, Marik and Melvin are managing to sleep through all of the chaos.

"Dartz?" Yami repeated. "We should've known."

"I misjudged Bakura badly." Jono sighed, ashamed.

Yami's face showed determination.

"We've got to stop that wagon before it's too late!" he said.

"But, how?" Jono asked. "We do not know which way they've gone."

"We'll track them down." Yami replied.

"And then?" Jono asked.

"We'll keep them at bay."

Yami ran out of Atem and Anzu's room.

"Hey!" Jono cried.

Jono followed them. Soon, they were out of the palace and running through the night sky. Yami suddenly stopped, trying to figure out which way to go.

"Now what?" Jono asked, panting slightly.

"I'll use the Millennium Puzzle to find where they are." Yami replied.

"Let's face it Yami, that jigsaw puzzle can't turn into a map." Jono sighed.

Yami glared at Jono, and then turned back to his puzzle. Closing his eyes, Yami put his faith into the hidden powers that were yet to be discovered. Then, the image of the prison came to him.

"That way!" Yami shouted, pointing east.

Yami began to run again, and Jono followed him, wondering how the Millennium Puzzle knew where to go. After a few minutes of running, Yami and Jono spotted the horse-drawn wagon slowly journey to the prison.

"Oh no you don't!" Yami shouted, speeding up.

Jono followed suit, and the both of them ended up running on either side of the wagon. Yami scared the horses by pounding his fists on the wagon. Jono helped by actually jumping onto the wagon. The horses started to whinny, but that wasn't enough.

Yami bravely ran in front of the horses. When he did that, the horses reared upwards, causing the wagon to turn on its side. Jono jumped off the wagon and ran to the back to remove the lock, but Bakura already beat him to it.

"Whoa! Bakura, how did you-?"

"I'm the King of Thieves, Jono." Bakura smiled. "I could have escaped anytime I wanted, but you and Yami were nice enough to come all this way to save me. I gotta hand it to you two, you all aren't that bad at all."

Jono smirked, but then his eyes widened. "Oh no! Where's Yami?"

Jono ran to the front of the wagon and saw that Yami was caught under one of the wheels. His eyes were fluttering.

"Yami! Hang in there, pal!" Jono cried, tears forming.

The guards were useless, since they were dazed, so Jono tried to push the wagon up himself. Bakura ran over to Jono and helped him. Eventually, the wagon gave and tilted over, giving them enough time to get Yam out. They saw that Yami's forehead had a gash, and his right arm was broken.

"Jono..." Yami murmured.

Jono's tears spilled over.

"Help! We need help!" Jono screamed into the heavens.

The sound of several horse-drawn wagons could be heard as Atem, Anzu, Mana, Mahado, and the rest of the royal priests galloped towards the prison. Mana looked ahead and saw Yami lying on the ground with Jono and Bakura surrounding him.

"Oh no...!" Mana jumped out of the wagon and used her magic to fly over to them.

"Mana, come back!" Atem shouted, anxious.

Mahado jumped off of his and Aishizu's wagon and flew with her.

Mahado landed next to Yami, immediately using his magic to tend to his wounds. Mana landed next to Bakura. He grasped her in a hug, and she grasped him back, her tears trailing down his chest.

"Hey, Char." Bakura whispered.

* * *

><p>"Bakura, are you in there?" a playful voice asked.<p>

Bakura snapped out of his flashback of eight years ago as he looked at his wife Mana. Three little girls were dancing around in circles, and Mana was holding her pregnant stomach, which held their final child: a son.

"Jasmine, Mindy, Blair, we are about to go back to the palace soon, so buy your treat." Mana told her daughters.

The four year old triplets cheered and went to the fig stand.

"I wonder how Yami and Jono are doing..." Bakura said.

"They are coming over for dinner today, so you'll find out then." Mana smiled.

"And Yugi has grown so much." Bakura sighed. "He makes Atem look like a brittle old man."

Mana laughed. "Well, he is eight now. He'll be ready to take the throne in ten years."

Mana placed a hand on her bulging stomach. "And I'm sure little Jaden will adore him, as I adore Yugi."

Bakura smiled. "You know, I was thinking about what happened eight years ago when we met, and all of that drama started. What ever happened to Marik and Melvin?"

Mana hid a smile. "They'll be coming to dinner too, along with Aunt Isis. Seriously Bakura, did you forget what today is?

Bakura tapped his chin. Then, his eyes widened.

"Oh, shit! Today is my birthday!" he groaned.

Mana laughed. "You're twenty-seven now. And to think that eight years ago you were the nineteen year old King of Thieves."

"You may never know." Bakura smirked. "I still have some connections."

"None that are active." Mana replied. "I know that much, old man. You may not have known this, but ever since the guards released your friends from prison, Mai and I have kept in touch. She knows everyone and everything."

"Fine, you win." Bakura said in mock defeat.

Mana giggled, and when she looked down, she gasped in shock.

"Mana, what's wrong? Are you having Jaden?" Bakura asked, anxious.

"No, Jaden isn't due for another month." Mana replied. "Just look down."

Bakura did that, and saw what she was shocked about. The heart Mana engraved in the sand eight years ago was still there, and their names and handprints remained as well.

"I can't believe it's still here..."

"I can." Mana grinned. "Just like a grain of sand in the desert, our love cannot disappear."

"Mommy! Daddy! We're finished!" Jasmine cried, holding up her fig.

"Okay then, let's go home." Bakura said.

The happy, loving family walked back to the palace to celebrate Bakura's birthday, the little bundle of joy inside Mana feeling the love as well.

_**Finis: Lady and the Thief**_

* * *

><p><strong>You have no idea how long it took me to finish this one chapter. I started in November, stopped, continued for a little bit in December, stopped, then did a bit more in January, stopped, and then finished it all this month. <strong>I also went back and edited the last five chapters before publishing chapter six. That also took forever. XD <strong>I hope you all enjoyed this! Will there be a Lady and the Thief 2? Maybe. As you probably noticed, Bakura and Mana's children all had Yu-Gi-Oh GX names, so if I decide to, most of the names will be decided. **

**Happy late Valentine's Day, and even though it was a few days ago, I hope you all feel the love. Please leave a review before you abandon this for another amazing story. This is PRK saying ja ne! :3**


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